The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Fringilla teydea

 – Near Threatened

Taxonomy

Kingdom: ANIMALIA
Phylum: CHORDATA
Class: AVES
Order: PASSERIFORMES
Family: FRINGILLIDAE
Scientific Name: Fringilla teydea
Species Authority: Webb, Berthelot & Moquin-Tandon, 1841
Common Name/s:
EnglishBLUE CHAFFINCH

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria: NT    ver 3.1 (2001)
Year Assessed: 2004
Assessor/s: BirdLife International
Evaluator/s: Stattersfield, A., Capper, D., Callaghan, D., Ekstrom, J., Peet, N. & Butchart, S. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
Justification: This species is classified as Near-Threatened, almost meeting several Vulnerable criteria: it has a small range which is declining, and a small population which has experienced some decline in the past ten years. It was previously considered Conservation Dependent but this category has been removed from the IUCN (2001) criteria.
History:
1988-Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988)
1994-Lower Risk/conservation dependent (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994)
2000-Lower Risk/conservation dependent (BirdLife International 2000)

Geographic Range

Range Description: Fringilla teydea is found on Tenerife and the subspecies polatzeki occurs on Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. The total population is estimated to be 1,800-2,740 individuals, with the majority on Tenerife, and 185-260 individuals on Gran Canaria. The latter race occupies a tiny range which is declining: it is restricted to patches of woodland at Ojeda, Inagua and Pajonales with a few pairs thought to occur at Tamadaba. However, as the Gran Canaria race is such a small proportion of the total population, the species's range and population are effectively stable. It is largely dependent on Canary pine Pinus canariensis and will inhabit reforested areas where these fall within the natural distribution of this tree. Although Canary pine seeds constitute its main food source, birds occasionally feed outside pinewoods during severe weather. During the breeding season, it is found in pinewoods at 1,000-2,000 m with a high proportion of broom Chamaecytisus proliferus in the understorey. The breeding season lasts from April to early August. Two eggs are generally laid. It suffers from illegal trade, primarily to Italy, Germany and Belgium, which may have an effect on population levels. Its pinewood habitat has been subject to intense commercial exploitation which has resulted in habitat fragmentation and population isolation, particularly on Gran Canaria. Forest fires have historically been important in the destruction of pinewoods on Gran Canaria. Protected areas are heavily used for recreation and leisure on Gran Canaria and this may cause disturbance. It has been legally protected from hunting, capture, trade, egg or chick collection since 1980. Key areas on Gran Canaria have been protected since 1982 and El Teide forest on Tenerife and six important areas on Gran Canaria were designated as National Parks or Natural Areas in 1987. A conservation programme was initiated in 1991 and a captive breeding programme began in 1992. An action plan was published in 1996. Monitoring and research should be continued and expanded. An official, governmental action plan should be produced to detail conservation requirements such as habitat restoration, prevention of forest fires and eradication of illegal trade. In addition, the species should be included under CITES and adequate protection should be ensured under the Countryside Law and Wildlife Protection Law.
Countries: Native:

Spain (Canary Is.)

Population

Population Trend: Stable

Habitat and Ecology

System: Terrestrial
List of Habitats:
1.6Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland

Threats

List of Threats:
1.3.3.3Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood - Clear-cutting (past)
3.5.3Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Cultural/scientific/leisure activities - Regional/international trade (ongoing)
9.4Intrinsic factors - Inbreeding (ongoing)
10.1Human disturbance - Recreation/tourism (ongoing)

Conservation Actions

List of Conservation Actions:
1.1.1Policy-based actions - Management plans - Development (needed)
1.2Policy-based actions - Legislation (needed)
1.4Policy-based actions - Other (needed)
3.3Research actions - Biology and Ecology (needed)
3.9Research actions - Trends/Monitoring (needed)
4.1Habitat and site-based actions - Maintenance/Conservation (needed)
4.2Habitat and site-based actions - Restoration (needed)
5.3.1Species-based actions - Sustainable use - Harvest management (needed)

Bibliography

Bibliography:

Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Bird Reference Citations. The numbers inserted in the text accounts above (usually in bold) refer to references. For further details on these references, click on the BirdLife International link above to go to the specific species account on the BirdLife web site. In some cases, particularly in the taxonomic notes, the references are cited using the author names. Details for these can be found on the BirdLife International web site at the following two places: For References from A–L. For References from M–Z.

BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.

BirdLife International. 2004 Threatened Birds of the World 2004. CD-ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.

Collar, N.J. and Andrew, P. 1988. Birds to Watch. The ICBP World Checklist of Threatened Birds. ICBP Technical Publication No. 8. Page Bros. (Norwich) Ltd, Norfolk, England.

Collar, N.J., Crosby, M.J. and Stattersfield, A.J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2. The World List of Threatened Birds BirdLife International. Page Bros (Norwich) Ltd, U.K.

IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1986. 1986 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.


Citation: BirdLife International 2004. Fringilla teydea. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 06 September 2008.
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